Does Performance Appraisal Contribute to Heightened Levels of Employee Burnout? The Results of One Study

This study examines the relationship between employee perceptions of performance appraisal and both employee burnout and experienced job satisfaction in a county government. More specifically, the authors examine whether the following aspects of performance appraisal are related to burnout and job satisfaction: instrument validity, distributive justice, and procedural justice. The results indicate a modest relationship between these three independent variables and job satisfaction, as well as a modest relationship between procedural and distributive justice and job burnout for a sample (N = 134) of professional county employees. The implications of these findings for managers are also explored.